List of English flags facts for kids

List of British flags
English flags
Northern Irish flags
Scottish flags
Welsh flags
Royal Standards

This is a list of English flags, including symbolic national and sub-national flags, standards and banners used exclusively in England.

The College of Arms is the authority on the flying of flags in England and maintains the only official register of flags. It was established in 1484 and as part of the Royal Household operates under the authority of The Crown. A separate private body called the Flag Institute, financed by its own membership, also maintains a registry of United Kingdom flags that it styles 'the UK Flag Registry', though this has no official status under English law.

Certain classes of flag enjoy a special status within English planning law and can be flown without needing planning permission as advertisements. These include any country’s national flag, civil ensign or civil air ensign; the flag of the Commonwealth, the European Union, the United Nations or any other international organisation of which the United Kingdom is a member; a flag of any island, county, district, borough, burgh, parish, city, town or village within the United Kingdom; the flag of the Black Country, East Anglia, Wessex, any Part of Lincolnshire, any Riding of Yorkshire or any historic county within the United Kingdom; the flag of St David; the flag of St Patrick; the flag of any administrative area within any country outside the United Kingdom; any flag of Her Majesty’s Forces; and the Armed Forces Day flag.

National flag

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	From c. 1801 in present form	De jure flag of the United Kingdom, used by HM Government in England	Amalgamation of St George's Cross, St Andrew's Saltire and St Patrick's Saltire.
	From c. 1245	De facto Flag of England (also known as the St George's Cross)	A centred red cross on a white background, 3:5.

Royal Standards

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1837	The Royal Standard of the United Kingdom. It is the banner of Queen Elizabeth II in her capacity as Queen of the United Kingdom.	Split into quadrants, the first and fourth quadrants contain three gold lions passant on a red field (representing England and Wales); the second quadrant contains a red lion rampant on a gold field (representing Scotland); the third quadrant contains a gold harp on a blue field (representing Ireland).
		Standard of the Duke of Cornwall	15 golden circles forming a triangle on a black field
		Standard of the Duchy of Lancaster	The Royal Banner of England, with a three-point label, each containing three fleurs-de-lis
	1305	Standard of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports	A banner of the Lord's coat of arms featuring three Lions passant guardant con-joined to these hulls, all in gold

Church

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1954	Flag of the Anglican Communion	A dark blue background with the symbol of the Anglican Communion (a compass rose surmounted by a bishop's mitre; in the centre is a cross of St George). The Greek motto, Ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς ("The truth will set you free") is a quotation from John 8:32.
		Flag of Westminster Abbey	Tudor arms between Tudor roses, above Edward the Confessor's arms

Historic counties

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	Traditional	Flag of Bedfordshire	Traditional county flag.
	Traditional	Flag of Buckinghamshire	Traditional county flag. A field party per pale of black and red with a white swan.
	1 February 2015	Flag of Cambridgeshire	The three gold crowns represent East Anglia, with wavy light blue lines representing the river Cam in the colours of Cambridge University on a dark blue background.
	early 19th century	Saint Piran's Flag, the Flag of Cornwall	A white cross on a black field, 3:5.
	19 September 1950	The Flag of Cumberland	Design based on the arms of the former Cumberland County Council.
	22 September 2006	Flag of Derbyshire	A green cross with a white border on a sky blue field, with a gold Tudor rose in the centre, 3:5.
	23 July 2002	Flag of Devon, alias St Petroc's Cross	A white cross with a black border on a green field, 3:5.
	16 September 2008	Flag of Dorset – The Dorset Cross, aka St Wite's Cross	A white cross with a red border on a gold field, 3:5.
	21 November 2013	Flag of County Durham	A gold and blue horizontal bicolour with St Cuthbert's Cross countercharged upon it, 3:5.
	Ancient	Flag of Essex	A red field with three white, gold hilted Saxon swords or Seaxes.
	March 2008	Flag of Gloucestershire – The Severn Cross	A mid-blue cross, outlined in cream, against an apple green background – the winning entry in a competition to commemorate the county's millennium.
	November 2008	Flag of Hertfordshire	Against eight blue and white wavy lines, representing the county's rivers, a gold shield bearing a resting deer or hart.
	25 June 2009	Flag of Huntingdonshire	On a green background, a gold, ribboned hunting horn – a flag displayed on the crest of the district council (and former county council) arms
	1605	Flag of Kent	A red field with a white horse in the centre, 3:5.
	Modern form since 2008	Flag of Lancashire	The Red Rose of Lancashire on a yellow field (originally a white field)
	24 October 2005	Flag of Lincolnshire	A red cross with yellow trimming on a blue and green field, and a yellow fleur de lys in the middle of the cross.
	1909	Flag of Middlesex	A red field with three white, gold hilted Saxon swords or Seaxes under a gold Saxon crown.
	11 September 2014	Flag of Norfolk	Ermine bend from top left to bottom right on a gold and black field.
	11 September 2014	Flag of Northamptonshire	A gold cross with a black border on a maroon field with a rose in the centre.
	7th century (modern form 1951)	Flag of Northumberland	Historical flag readopted in 1951 and used officially by the county council, with use permitted to local people. Flies in more than 200 locations across the county. Eight yellow rectangles on a red field, note that the canton (top corner nearest the flagpole) should be gold.
	20 May 2011	Flag of Nottinghamshire	The inescutcheon represents Robin Hood
	20 May 2011	Flag of Oxfordshire – Saint Frideswide Cross	A white cross on a blue and green field.
	17 November 2015	Flag of Rutland	A green field semée of acorns with a golden horseshoe in the centre
	March 2012	Flag of Shropshire	The leopards' faces, fondly referred to as "loggerheads" locally, are a traditional emblem for Shropshire and have historically evolved from the loggerheads on the Shrewsbury town arms. The erminois aspect differentiates the county flag with that of its county town.
	July 2013	County Flag of Somerset	A red dragon rampant on a gold field, from a longstanding local badge; the winning entry in a competition.
	28 March 2016	County Flag of Staffordshire	A red chevron on a gold field, with a gold Stafford knot, the county's longstanding symbol. All elements are taken from the de Stafford coat of arms. Designed by the Staffordshire Heritage Group and chosen by the Flag Institute over the county council's own flag after a public vote.
	September 2014	County Flag of Surrey	Chequey Or and Azure; a traditional design derived from a personal coat of arms that are first recorded in the 11th Century.
	20 May 2011	County flag of Sussex	Six gold martlets on blue are the traditional arms of Sussex
	August 2016	Flag of Warwickshire	The traditional bear and ragged staff badge, shown white on red: the badge is from that of the Earls of Warwick
	30 September 2011	Flag of Westmorland	A golden heraldic apple tree on white and red bars
	5 June 2007	Flag of Wiltshire	Alternating stripes of green and white represent the grassy downs of the county and their chalk underlay. The colours can represent hope, joy and safety (green) and peace (white). In the centre, the male great bustard is depicted in gold on a solid green circle to represent the open grassland. The circle is bordered in six sections alternating green and white representing the stone circles of Stonehenge and Avebury in the county. The six portions also represent the six surrounding counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Dorset and Somerset.
		Flag of Worcestershire	Black pears appear in the arms of the City of Worcester, and as such have long been considered a county badge, reportedly dating back to the battle of Agincourt. The county flag was established by a competition in 2013.
	1965 or earlier	County flag of Yorkshire	The White Rose of Yorkshire (the traditional county emblem) on a blue field.

Islands

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	14 April 2010	Flag of the Isle of Portland	The colours represent the landscape of the area: Portland stone, grass and the sea. The white tower represents the castles and the naval coronet shows the long connection with the Royal Navy.
	February 2002	Flag of the Isles of Scilly	The Scillonian Cross – A white cross on an orange upper field and blue lower field with five white stars in the upper right quarter, 3:5.
	January 2009	Flag of the Isle of Wight	A white lozenge with an upper indent or "pile" on a light blue background, over six wavy stripes of blue and white.

Historic kingdoms and regions

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1900s	Flag of East Anglia	The arms ascribed to the Wuffingas dynasty of East Anglia, three crowns on a blue shield, superimposed on a St George's Cross, 3:5.
	13th Century	Flag of Mercia	A gold saltire on a blue field (Cross of St Alban); the traditional flag of the Kingdom of Mercia, still flown on Tamworth Castle.
	7th century	Flag of Northumbria	The oldest flag in England. Historical flag of Kingdom of Northumbria.
		Flag of Wessex	A gold wyvern on a red field.

Historical flags

Royal standards

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1198 – 1340	Royal Banner of King Richard I	Gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or armed and langued Azure, meaning three identical gold lions with blue tongues and claws, walking and facing the observer, arranged in a column on a red background. It forms the first and fourth quarters of the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom
	1340 – 1406	Royal Banner of King Edward III	The Coat of Arms of England quartered with the Royal Standard of France, the Fleur-de-lis representing the English claim to the French throne.
	1406 – 1603	Royal Banner of King Henry IV	The French quartering has been altered to three fleurs-de-lys.
	1603 – 1689, 1702 – 1707	Royal Standard of the House of Stuart, used first by King James VI/I	A banner of the Royal Coat of Arms of James I, first and fourth quarters representing England and the English claim to the French throne, second quarter representing Scotland, third quarter representing Ireland. This was the last royal banner of the Kingdom of England.

National flags and ensigns

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	Anglo-Saxon era		A dragon (known later in heraldry as a wyvern) which appears twice in the death scene of King Harold II on the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
	1620–1707	English Red Ensign	A red ensign with the Flag of England in the canton
	1620–1707	English White Ensign	A white ensign with the Flag of England in the canton
	1620–1707	English Blue Ensign	A blue ensign with the Flag of England in the canton
	1606–1801	First Union Flag	The first Union Flag (also known as the King's Colours) with the Cross of St George placed upon the Flag of Scotland

Nationalist flags

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		White dragon flag	A symbol associated in Welsh mythology with the Anglo-Saxons. Also related to the wyverns depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry.